Leo the Great and Attila the Hun

The Roman Empire was falling.  The Fifth Century was a disaster for the Empire, but it didn't help when Attila the Hun invaded Italy in 452.  The Empire's armies were exhausted and beaten, and the path to the Eternal City itself lay open.  With nobody to defend the people, Pope Leo rode out to meet the (in)famous barbarian.

Fresco by Raffael showing the meeting of Leo and Attila

Leo faced Attila and his Huns.  All we know for sure is that it was Attila that blinked; the Huns withdrew beyond the Danube river, leaving Rome untouched.  Not for nothing is Leo called "The Great" - the first Pope receiving that much-desired adjective.

But that was then, and this is now.  St. John's Episcopal Church sits on Lafayette Square in Washington D.C., across from the White House.  Rioters tried to burn it down, and Donald Trump took an unexpected walk across the square to stand up for civilization.  You'd think that people trying to burn down historic churches would be, well, barbarians.  If you listened to the Bishop from that church, you'd think you were wrong:

She told Anderson Cooper of CNN, "I am outraged. The president did not pray when he came to St John’s nor, as you just articulated, did he acknowledge the agony of our country right now — in particular, that of the people of color in our nation who wonder is anyone in public power will ever acknowledge their sacred worth and who are rightfully demanding an end to 400 years of systemic racism and white supremacy in our country … We distance ourselves from the incendiary language of this President."

 

The bishop sided with the barbarians. I suppose turncoat bishops have done that over the centuries.

Mariann Edgar Budde is no Pope Leo the Great.  The barbarians are trying to sack our Eternal City and the Church is telling us that we're on our own.